Why to choose jute for your bags
Personalised jute bags are everywhere right now, you just might not have realised. (To get an idea, take a look at our list of some of the best examples.) The majority of the reinforced tote bags and shoppers you see out and about these days are in fact made of jute, and it’s no wonder retailers are investing in the material.
Personalised shoppers are a great choice when producing branded merchandise because they’re something everybody uses, and people are always extra eager to get their hands on a sturdy, long-lasting shopping bag.
Another reason that jute bags are so popular is because they are a really sustainable choice. Given that so many people are wary of brands greenwashing when it comes to claims about their products, we thought we would break down the reasons why jute actually is sustainable.
Why jute bags are a sustainable choice
Jute uses less water
Unlike materials like cotton which take gallons of water to grow and process, jute only need as much water as natural rainfall provides. Given that one of the major impacts that intensive farming can have is an overuse of water that then becomes a waste product, often polluting other water sources around farms and factories, this is a huge component of Jute’s sustainability credentials.
It helps the earth breathe
Another incredible aspect of the jute crop is the rate at which it absorbs carbon dioxide. Like bamboo, jute inhales CO2 and exhales oxygen at a rate much faster than trees, meaning that growing it goes some way to addressing the incredible amount of carbon pollution that the atmosphere is flooded with. It’s estimated that in the average growing season one hectare of jute absorbs roughly 15 tons of CO2, while producing 11 tons of oxygen.
Jute gives back to the soil
Unlike many other crops, each cycle of jute grown in the soil helps to enrich that soil, rather than stripping it of nutrients and leaving it fallow for the next season. This, combined with the comparatively fast maturation period, means that jute takes up less farmland in terms of yield than other textile crops do. One of the many benefits of this is that it encourages farmers to leave other parts of their land unfarmed, growing wild and encouraging natural habitats and ecosystems.
It makes long-lasting products
One of the best ways to reduce our waste is to buy less, and one of the best ways to buy less is to invest in durable, long-lasting products. Jute fibres are incredibly hardy, meaning it can stand up to a lot of strain – great news for those who like to do a mammoth weekly shop. Jute bags will be used and loved for years, with the added bonus that using them means that shoppers aren’t opting for plastic bags.
It’s biodegradable and recyclable
Sustainability isn’t just about production, it’s about the whole lifecycle of a material. The good news here is that jute is both biodegradable – meaning it won’t be rotting in our rubbish heaps for years to come – and recyclable, meaning that once a bag has reached the end of its (long) life its materials can be repurposed rather than discarded.
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